Rubbing apparatus



Sept. 3G, was. H, B, HA H 1,777,039

RUBBING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 25, 1927 I 563% B. Ha Z 05,

Patented Sept. 30, 1930 UNITE STATES FATENT OFFICE HUGH BRENTON HATCH,OF DUNEDIN, IELORIDA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO FLORIDA CITRUS MACHINERY GOMPANY, OF DUNEDIN, FLORIDA, A CORPORA-TION OF FLORIDA v Resistive APP RATUS Applicationfiled November 25,1927. Serial No.'235 ,587.

This invention relates tov rubbing apparatus; and it relates moreparticularly to apparatus useful especially for rubbing and polishingarticles which are of enerally globular shape.

The greatestpresent utility of the invention is for rubbing andpolishing fruits and vegetables such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines,and the like, and a specific embodiment of the invention, particularlyadapted to such use, will hereinafter be described, but it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction here shown or to the field of polishing fruit. V

In the preparation ofcertain globular fruits for market it is customaryto subject the articles to the action of rubbing means either for thepurpose of cleansing'the fruit (with or without application of water) orfor the purpose of giving it a shineor polish, or for both thesepurposes. .This isparticularly true of citrus fruits which are almostinvariably washed as 'a matter of necessity, since they are generallyvery dirty when received in the packing house; They are also oftenpolished after being dried off."

Heretofore the polishing operation has been usually carried ,on inmachines comprising a plurality of rotable rubbing members, such asbrush rolls disposed close together and in parallel with their uppersurfaces substantially in the sameplane which is sometimes horizontaland sometimes slightly sloped lengthwise ofthe rolls, butnottransversely thereof; the rubbing members being rotated inthe samedirection and cooperating in pairs to form'a plurality of parallelpolishing runways along which the fruittravels. Substantially the sameconstruction has also been used in fruit washers. While thesemachinesyhave been exi V tensively used, they have neverthelessfibeen.

somewhat objectionable in thatthey permit the articles being rubbed orpolished to be carried out of the runways to some extent and, migratingtransversely, to collect at the side of the machine toward which thepolishing members rotate, with resultant overcrowding at that side'andinjury to the fruits.

Proposals for obviating this defect in such machlnes havebeenadvancedheretofore but have not proved entirely adequate to solve theproblem in a practical manner.

in otherwords, to overcome the tendency of articles inthese machines tojump, in the direction of rotation, from one runwayto another.

Another and more general object is to provide apparatus of thischaracter for more efficiently and thoroughlyv rubbing articles fedthereto. 7

These and other objects, which will appear more fully as this disclosureproceeds, are achieved by arranging the rotary rubbing members or rollsin such manner that their active upper surfaces are/presentedsubstantially in or tangent to one plane which, in

contrast with constructions previously known, slopes upward,transversely of the longitudinal axes of the rolls, in the direction inwhich said upper surfaces are moved when the rolls rotate in the mannerhereinabove described. Thatis to say, counting from that side of themachine away from which the upper surfaces the rolls move, the uppersurface of eachsucceeding roll is higher than that of its immediatepredecessor.

It is apparent that this result is attainable in various ways. Thus, inone embodiment of the invention, the rolls may all beofthe sameeffective diameter with their parallel axesin one plane which slopes ina direction transverse to said axes, specifically at right anglesthereto. In another embodiment, the desired result, which is to have theupper longitudinal surface of each polishing member progressively higherthan the surface of the one nnmedlately preceding it, 1n the more orless diagrammatically and by way oi example, in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation, with chute boards omitted, and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cr ss-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a plurality of rotatable brush rolls 10,surfaced with horse hair or other suitable rubbing or brushing material,are suitably supported in a frame indicated generally by ll and driventhrough appropriate gearing 12, 13. The rolls 10 are arranged tocooperate in forming polishing runways let between each pair of suchrolls, and, for the purpose of advancing articles being polished alongsuch runways, may have spirally cut brushing surta es as shown in Fig.2. It is also permissible, in order to induce feeding of articles alongthe polishing runways. to have the polishingmcml ers inclinedlongitudinally downwardly from the receiving end of the machine, thoughspiralling of the brushing surfaces renders this unnecessary, and in theapparatus illustrated the rolls are not so inclined.

As shown, the upper brusl'iing surfaces 10 of the brush rolls areprogressively higher in the direction in which said upper surfaces move.This result is accomplished, in this instance, by having brush rolls ofuniform diameter with their axes 10" in a single plane which is inclinedtransversely to the polishing runways formed between the brush rolls.Hence the elevation of the rolls increases progressively in thedirection in which the rolls are rotated. In the specific embodi mentthe rolls, as viewed in F l, are designed to be rotatedcountcr-clockwise, as shown by the arrows. Hence the elevation of therolls increases progressively from right to left. By so arranging therolls. the tendency of articles 15 being polished to jump in thedirection of rotation from one runway to another, eventuallyaccumulating in the last runway, is counteracted. Articles, such asoranges, which are fed to the polisher, remain in the respectivepolishing runways which they enter, traveling in the direction shown bythe arrows in Fig. 2. is that the capacity and etliciency of the novelmachine are much greater than could be ob- T he result tained withearlier types, and uniformity of its brushing or rubbing action isenhanced.

\Vhat is claimed is:

l. Rubbing apparatus comprising a pluality of rotatable rubbing membersarranged parallel to one another and cooperating in pairs to form one ormore rubbing runways, said rotatable rubbing members having their activeupper surfaces substantially tangent to one plane, which plane slopestransversely of the longitudinal axes of said rotatable members, wherebyeach of the higher rubbing members will act as a butler to the adjacentlower rubbing member to prevent movement of articles placed on theapparatus transverselv across the rubbing members.

Rubbing apparatus comprising a plurality oi" rotatable rubbing membersof subsantially the same external diameter arranged parallel to oneanother and cooperating in pairs to form one or more rubbing runways,said rotatable members 11 avi 11g their parallel axes substantially inone plane which slopes in a direction transverse to said axes, wherebyeach of the higher rubbing members will act a. butter to the adjacentlower rubbing member to prevent movement of articles placed on theapparatus transversely across therubbing members.

3. Rubbing apparatus comprising a plurality of rotatable rubbing membersarranged parallel to one another and cooperating in pairs to form one ormore rubbing runways, said rotatable rubbing members having their activeupper surfaces substantially in one sloping plane, transversely of thelongitudinal axes of said rotatable members, and means for rotating saidrotatable members so that their upper surfaces move toward a higherportion otsaid plane, whereby each of the higher rubbing members willact as a butter to the adjacent lower rubbing member to prevent movementof articles placed on the apparatus transversely across the rubbingmembers.

4:. Rubbing apparatus comprising a plurality of rotatable brush rolls arranged parallel to one another and cooperating in pairs to form one ormore rubbing runways, said rolls being arranged with a progressiveincrease in the elevation of their active upper snr faces, provisionbeing made for rotating such rolls so that their upper surfaces moveaway from the lower and toward the higher side of the apparatus, wherebyeach of the higher rubbing members will act as a butler to the adjacentlower rubbing member to prevent movement of articles placed on theapparatus transversely across the rubbing members.

Fruit rubbing apparatus comprising a plurality of rotatable rubbingmembers ar ran ed parallel to one another and cooperating in pairs toprovide individual separate flint-supporting rubbing runways, and

means for rotating all the rubbing members so that their upper activesurfaces move in the same direction transversely of the longitudinalaXes of the members, said rubbing members arranged with their upperactive surfaces successively higher in the direction of movement'oftheir upper surfaces, whereby fruit placed on the apparatus will beinduced to remain in the individual separate runways instead of beingcarried transversely across the runways of the rubbing menu-i bers tocollect at the side of the machine toward which the members rotate withre sultant over-crowding and injury to the fruit.

6. Fruit rubbing apparatus comprising a supporting frame, a plurality ofparallel rubbing rolls supported by said frame and arranged with theirrubbing surfaces adjacent each other and cooperating in pairs to providea plurality of rubbing runways, and means for rotating said rolls in thesame di rection to advance the fruit along the respective runways, saidsupporting frame being inclined upwardly in the direction of rotation ofsaid rolls whereby the active upper surface of each roll acts as abuffer to the next adjacent lower roll to prevent the fruit from movingtransversely out of their respect1ve runways. V V

In testimony whereof I hereunto signature.

HUGH BRENTON HATCH.

